1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to candle holders and, more particularly, to candle holding modules designed to permit stacking thereof in a stable, interlocking arrangement.
2. Description of Related Art
Candles and candle holders have been around since antiquity, and stacking candle holders is not new. Usually, however, the arrangements possible are limited to one or just a few. The following patents are representative:
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 262,913 issued to Glass shows cylindrical candle holders in which the cylindrical wall has been extended at the base where pairs of slots are cut therethrough. The slots receive the upper cylindrical rim of a pair of lower holders therein to interlock three or more holders together in pyramid form. The arrangement necessarily forces the upper holders to protrude into the chimney of the lower holder, constricting the access thereto for inserting and/or removing a candle. Further, the heat from the lower candles must impinge, somewhat deleteriously, on the upper holders. The present invention suffers not from this disadvantage.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,795,124 to Bruce is representative of stackable candelabrum in which a base for a candle is joined to other similar bases by means of rods which are friction fit into holes in the base. Bruce discloses a base with a centrally located candle receiving aperture surrounded by rod receiving holes. The arrangements resulting from joining one or more bases together are limited to linear, or closely staggered, rows of candles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,206 to Lee shows a variation of the Bruce arrangement. The present invention expands the versatility of the arrangements taught by the foregoing patents by permitting vertical as well as linear arrays.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,230 to Luthi permits vertical and linear arrangements of candles but requires three separate components to do so, namely, a candle-holding base for receiving the candle, a connecting clip for horizontally connecting one or more bases together, and a cylindrical plug for elevating one base above another. The present invention requires only one element, an integral candle holder having no moving parts which has the capability of receiving a plurality of candles while stacking vertically and horizontally with other similar holders.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,113 to Thrush discloses a candle holder having a base which fits within the candle receiving opening of a similarly shaped candle holder. Vertical stacking is permitted, but only one spire holding only one candle is possible. The present invention permits horizontal and vertical expansion for innumerable arrangements holding as many candles as one desires.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,616 to Greenvourcel provides for some versatility in arrangements for candles. It discloses a nesting system instead of a stacking system.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,384 to De Natale and U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,907 to Franchere et al. are typical of units which interlock with similar units by means of projections on one fitting into openings in the other. Article receiving openings are present, although not disclosed for use with candles, but since stacking would preclude use thereof, the units are unsuitable for building candelabra arrangements.
The present invention expands the versatility of the prior art as described above by providing a plurality of basic modules which can be stacked vertically and horizontally in a plurality of three dimensional arrangements while providing candle holding cells which are open and easily accessible.
The present invention accomplishes the above by providing a basic module having a plurality of open candle holding cells structurally related to a like plurality of projections for interlocking with candle holding cells of other modules.
It is an object of the invention to provide a simple, easily and economically manufactured module which permits unlimited three dimensional arrangements of stacked candle holders.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a plurality of module designs, all of which are capable of being stacked together in a stable, interlocking manner to provide opportunities for creative pleasing and decorative candle arrays.